April 19, 2011 12:29 PM

Obama invokes bridge collapse in criticizing GOP budget plan

By
Brian Montopoli, Jill Jackson
Topics
Economy ,
Obama Administration

Updated 1:12 p.m. Eastern Time

President Obama invoked the 2007 collapse of the Interstate 35-W bridge in Minneapolis while criticizing cuts to infrastructure in the Republican budget plan at a town hall meeting on Tuesday.

"According to the Republican budget that was passed, for example, we would have to eliminate transportation funding by a third," he said. "...You remember when that bridge in Minnesota collapsed with all those people on it and there was a big hue and cry, how could this happen in America?"

Mr. Obama noted that the United States has been given a "D" grade for its infrastructure and said U.S. roads, sewers and bridges are "all deteriorating." He added: "We cut transportation by another third and what's going to happen to America? We're just going to have potholes everywhere? We're just gonna have bridges collapsing everywhere?"

While experts say America's aging infrastructure is a significant problem, the bridge collapse in Minnesota, which killed 13 people, was found to have been caused primarily by a design flaw.

Mr. Obama made the comments while speaking at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, where he made the case for his own deficit reduction plan. His proposal would cut $4 trillion over a decade by cutting spending and raising taxes on the wealthy.

US President Barack Obama

President Obama discusses budget reduction at Virginia town hall, April 19, 2011.

(Credit: CBS)
The president contrasted his plan with the Republican plan, which he said asks too much of average Americans while giving a handout to the highest-earners. He said the one thing everyone in Washington generally agrees on is that the deficit should be reduced by about $4 trillion in the medium term, and that something needs to be done to reform Medicare and bring down health care costs.

The president said he is "hopeful" that a deficit compromise can be reached, adding, "Both sides have come together before. I believe we can do it again."

But Mr. Obama highlighted significant differences between the plans when it comes to spending and taxes. He said that he won't reduce the deficit by cutting investments in education or infrastructure, as the House GOP budget would. And he added that if the United States does not invest in those things, especially in infrastructure and broadband and high speed rail, companies will not invest or do business or create jobs in the United States.

He complained that "our broadband lines are slower than places like South Korea."

The president also promised a woman who asked if Social Security would be around when she retires 25 years from now that it would remain intact. He said it will be relatively easy to address Social Security by raising the cap on income that is subject to Social Security taxes.

The town-hall meeting was part of the president's campaign-style push for his deficit plan this week, which includes a trio of town halls and interviews with local reporters in potential presidential battleground states.


Add a Comment See all 47 Comments
by crazyname April 20, 2011 8:10 AM EDT
The blame game in front of the MTV generation. Why doen't you tell them that you are putting their futures at risk spending money we don't have, lying about cutting the debt, over and over again when in fact you have increased it 10 fold in 2 years. Obama is a lying fact twisting explative! Wise up dummies! the cliff is approaching
Reply to this comment
by RobAla April 20, 2011 7:19 AM EDT
I would absolutely love to see better infrastructure in this nation (even from a personal reason, my oldest son has a small concrete business), and who wouldn't want faster internet speeds?

The problem is that the nation is broke. We all have a wish list, but we are racing toward a total economic collapse because Washington has horribly mismanaged federal funding since the days of President Clinton and Speaker Newt Gingrich. After 9/11, President Bush began deficit spending by around $500 billion per year. In 2008, President Bush doubled the 2007 deficit spending to around $1 trillion when he started the stupid bailouts.

Although he promised to handle the deficit spending problem when he campaigned, President Obama TRIPLED the 2007 deficit spending to over spend $1.5 trillion in both 2009 and 2010 with the stupid huge bailouts and bogus stimulus packages. This year, we are projected to go in the hole another $1.65 trillion.

We are in big trouble. We can not continue to spend money that we DO NOT HAVE. Both the CBO and President Obama's Deficit Commission stated that what we are currently doing is UNSUSTAINABLE. We have to make serious cuts in federal spending, and they have to be massive. Nobody wants to have to make cuts, but it is time to deal with this mess as adults.

Instead of trying to trash every idea regarding where and how much to cut, President should be leading the nation in making the cuts - he isn't. He is part of the problem, and he has run up deficit spending to record breaking levels. He has been irresponsible in his fiscal policies, and his fiscal policies have made our national mess much worse.

We need both Republicans and Democrats to focus on getting the irresponsible spending of the federal government in order. The GAO recently gave a report that said the federal government is wasting $100s of billions in having duplicate programs. This stupid health care law (which the majority of Americans want repealed) adds another $105 billion each year in new federal spending. We have to make serious and massive cuts to get this nation back on track, and we need a plan to bring this nation back to a balanced budget.

All this talk about infrastructure is nothing more than a diversion from the real disaster, an economic collapse of what was once the strongest nation in the history of the world. We are in big trouble, and we have to address it. It is no linger business as usual for the United States.
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by beadwindow2010 April 20, 2011 6:26 AM EDT
He lies! And he stutters worse than B-B-Bertie in "The King's Speech" when he gets off teleprompter. The bridge had flawed design, not infrastructure. Lying Sambo.
Reply to this comment
by abbe91 April 20, 2011 5:16 AM EDT
Finally, gloves are off hopefully ...
Obama will start showing the republicans for what they are. About time ...
Reply to this comment
by beadwindow2010 April 20, 2011 6:19 AM EDT
He lies. The bridge, as it turns out, was a flaw in design, not failed infrastructure. Never let this Sambo off telepromter.
by abbe91 April 20, 2011 6:36 AM EDT
So what ? Did he say otherwise ? No.
by nearl451 April 20, 2011 12:37 AM EDT
What really is telling about the S&P move is that they had nothingto say when riding the hell out of the bubble thoughout the 1990's and 2000's until 2008.

By my estimation, if the Bush tax cuts had NOT occurred and the Iraq war had not occurred, our national debt would be about $6-8 T lower than it is......even considering the increased spending during the financial crisis. That's right, more than the proposed Medicare restructure.

An overall Debt of 6-8 T seems alot more palatable than $14T, does'nt it? Oh, to turn back time.

We may even be able toafford a little infrastructure.
Reply to this comment
by RobAla April 19, 2011 8:58 PM EDT
The policies of President Obama are pushing this nation quickly toward a total economic collapse. One bridge will be nothing compared to the damage he has inflected on this nation.

The nation may have a "D" grade on infrastructure, but what grade does nation have in fiscal policy? S&P says that it deeming the credit worthiness of the nation to be "negative". The CBO and President Obama's Deficit Commission both say that what we are currently doing is UNSUSTAINABLE!

Look at the bridges, look at the roads... but pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
Reply to this comment
by catmomtx April 19, 2011 9:35 PM EDT
Until Republicans start talking about cutting oil subsidies, corporate welfare, and tax cuts for the obscenely rich, how big of a problem do we really have? How serious are they? I mean really? You can give tax cuts to the rich saying that they will produce jobs but they have had the very same tax cuts for 10 years now, where are the jobs? Why did Republicans vote in lockstep against ending the subsidies to the oil companies? Why is it that they want to get rid of all the programs they have never liked like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid all the while still giving tax cuts to busineses and corporations? It was the policies of George Bush that started this country down the slippery slope we find ourselves in and it is the policies of the Republicans in Congress to do everything they can to make this country fail just so they can destroy President Obama.
by retm-w April 19, 2011 9:35 PM EDT
Slownewsdayo

If the politicians would worry about the people instead of the government contractors, maybe we could get those cut's.
by gekkobear April 19, 2011 5:33 PM EDT
So he was wrong on the bridges?

But he was right with potholes. The most effective and efficient method to have a local pothole fixed is to have all pothole fixing money sent to a federal official who has never even set foot in your state.

He will determine which potholes get fixed across the entire nation, and in which order; based on bribes (sorry, I guess they call that 'lobbying') and a one-size-fits-all rules that assume the road needs of Florida match the road needs of Minnesota (comparable ice/rain/weather needs right?).

Keeping that money in local and state areas to distribute by people you could actually call and talk to; and who know your state would be a disaster. We must have bribe-driven federal officials with a one-size-fits-all solution... or we're doomed as a nation... really?

Why does a one-size-fits all bureaucracy run by a bribe-taking politician in D.C. beat the efficiency, effectiveness, and prioritization of local officials? because Obama wants to spend that money, and take credit for spending it. I can't see any other reasoning that would justify this.

More waste, less efficiency, slower, less rational priorities, more corruption, less intelligent planning... but more credit for Obama.

Can anyone give any possible benefit aside from Obama getting credit for this?
Reply to this comment
by taylorsucram April 19, 2011 5:26 PM EDT
So much ignorance, so little brains. Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a top tax rate of 91% of INCOME. The Rich were hella-taxed, and here is what he did with the money. We built the INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM, WE BUILT DAMNS, WE BUILT & UPGRADED OUR ELECTRICAL GRID, WE BUILT BRIDGES, WATER SYSTEMS ETC. Our Public Schools were the best in the world. And he WARNED US ABOUT THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL-COMPLEX.

Where are the JOBS from that $700 Billion Dollar Tax Break for the Rich?
Reply to this comment
by taylorsucram April 19, 2011 5:29 PM EDT
Oh, one more thing. This the Republican Message to America;

Dear President Obama, we will not raise the Debt Ceiling unless you repeal Obamacare and privatize Medicare and Social Security so that Wall Street can steal THAT money. We will destroy this Great Country in order to save it from you! Resign from office immediately and go back to Kenya or Chicago or wherever you came from. ~ Signed The GOP
by discussthis April 19, 2011 5:35 PM EDT
Where are the (shovel-ready) jobs, the infrastructure repairs, the 8% cap on unemployment, and the booming economy from the trillion dollar "stimulus"?
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by mikelpond April 19, 2011 5:14 PM EDT
that 'bridge thing' is so last month. our base can't remember what happened last week!
Reply to this comment
by larryp0304 April 19, 2011 5:01 PM EDT
It's just astounding ANYONE would be stupid enough to fall for this. How long have Democrats stated the same thing "we need money for infrastructure" yet with all the money they have taken from us, where are the improvements? What have they been doing all these years?

Let me understand this. Obama has spent over $700 MILLION on the Libya debacle for what? Could have used that $700 million for roads and bridges and putting people back to work.

Only the truly brain dead ignorant fools fall for the Obama garbage......
Reply to this comment
by retm-w April 19, 2011 5:41 PM EDT
How about what the republicans two wars have cost us, with all that money we could have rebuilt every bridge in the U.S. Didn't see anything in the republicans plan to rebuild the infastructure, and create jobs.
by troopf4 April 19, 2011 6:49 PM EDT
Agree!!!
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